Analysis of Driving Psychological Load in V-Shaped Subsea Tunnels Considering Driver Skin Electrical Signals

To examine the variation law of the driving psychological load in subsea tunnels under different illumination and longitudinal slope conditions,22 drivers were recruited to participate in a real vehicle test in off peak hours under similar traffic conditions,and the skin electric signals of the drivers in the free flow state were collected.Considering the skin conductance level(SCL)as the load characteristic index,the influence of the different illuminance and slope conditions on the drivers’skin electrical signals was analyzed,and a measurement model of the relationship between the uphill and downhill slopes,illuminance and driver’s SCL value was constructed.The results indicate that the illuminance change rate and driver’s SCL are positively correlated.A larger illuminance change rate leads to an increase in the SCL and psychological workload of the driver.The influence of the uphill and downhill slopes on the driver’s SCL value in different areas of the subsea tunnel is considerably different.With the increase in the degree of the uphill and downhill slopes,the driver’s SCL value increases,and the maximum SCL appears in a slope range of 3.5%–4%.Moreover,the SCL of the drivers in the downhill section is higher than that in the uphill section,corresponding to a larger driving psychological load.

Mechanical Behavior and Shape Optimization of Lining Structure for Subsea Tunnel Excavated in Weathered Slot

Subsea tunnel lining structures should be designed to sustain the loads transmitted from surrounding ground and groundwater during excavation. Extremely high pore-water pressure reduces the effective strength of the country rock that surrounds a tunnel, thereby lowering the arching effect and stratum stability of the structure. In this paper, the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure for the Xiang＇an tunnel excavated in weathered slots are examined. Eight cross sections with different geometric parameters are adopted to study the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure. The hyperstatic reaction method is used through finite element analysis software ANSYS. The mechanical behavior of the lining structure is evidently affected by the geometric parameters of crosssectional shape. The minimum safety factor of the lining structure elements is set to be the objective function. The efficient tunnel shape to maximize the minimum safety factor is identified. The minimum safety factor increases significantly after optimization. The optimized cross section significantly improves the mechanical characteristics of the lining structure and effectively reduces its deformation. Force analyses of optimization process and program are conducted parametrically so that the method can be applied to the optimization design of other similar structures. The results obtained from this study enhance our understanding of the mechanical behavior of the lining structure for subsea tunnels. These results are also beneficial to the optimal design of lining structures in general.

Grouting techniques for the unfavorable geological conditions of Xiang'an subsea tunnel in China

One of the major challenges during subsea tunnel construction is to seal the potential water inflow. Thepaper presents a case study of Xiang＇an subsea tunnel in Xiamen, the first subsea tunnel in China. Duringits construction, different grades of weathered geomaterials were encountered, which was the challengingissue for this project. To deal with these unfavorable geological conditions, grouting was adoptedas an important measure for ground treatment. The grouting mechanism is first illustrated by introducinga typical grouting process. Then the site-specific grouting techniques employed in the Xiang＇ansubsea tunnel are elaborated. By using this ground reinforcement technique, the tunneling safety of theXiang＇an subsea tunnel was guaranteed. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Service Life Prediction of Lining Concrete of Subsea Tunnel under Combined Compressive Load and Carbonation

Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay subsea tunnel is the second self-built tunnel in China with the designed service life over 100 years.The durability of lining concrete are one of an important factors to determinate the service life of tunnel.Considering the main environmental loads and mechanical loads of subsea tunnel,the durability properties of lining concrete under combined action of compressive load and carbonation has been studied through the critical compressive load test,accelerated carbonation test,natural carbonation test and capillary suction test.The tests results show that critical compressive load apparently accelerates the carbonation and deteriorates the anti-permeability of concrete.Under the combined action of critical compressive load and carbonation,the durability of lining concrete decreases.Based on the carbonization life criteria and research results,for the high-performance concrete with proposed mix ratio,the predicted service life of lining concrete for Jiaozhou bay subsea tunnel is about 80 years which fails to reach the required service life.It is necessary to adopt other measurements simultaneously to improve the durability of lining concrete.

Durability of Lining Concrete of Subsea Tunnel under Combined Action of Freeze-thaw Cycle and Carbonation

Through the fast freeze-thaw cycle test,accelerated carbonation test,and natural carbonation test,the durability performance of lining concrete under combined action of freeze-thaw cycle and carbonation were studied.The experimental results indicate that freeze-thaw cycle apparently accelerates the process of concrete carbonation and carbonation deteriorates the freeze resistance of concrete.Under the combined action of freeze-thaw cycle and carbonation,the durability of lining concrete decreases.The carbonation depth of lining concrete at tunnel openings under freeze-thaw cycles and tunnel condition was predicted.For the high performance concrete with proposed mix ratio,the lining concrete tends to be unsafe because predicted carbonation depth exceeds the thickness of reinforced concrete protective coating.Adopting other measurements simultaneously to improve the durability of lining concrete at the tunnel openings is essential.

Characteristics on Seawater Corrosion of Intensely Weathered Surrounding Rock of Subsea Tunnel

Existing studies on the durability of subsea tunnel mainly focus on the concrete deterioration and steel corrosion,while there are few on the infuence of mechanical properties deterioration of surrounding rock on the durability of sub-sea tunnel.To improve the accuracy of long-term stability prediction,seawater corrosion tests of intensely weathered surounding rock of subsea tunnel are car-ried out.In this study,the strength characteristics of remolded samples of inten-sely weathered granite under different seawater concentrations are investigated,the strength attenuation equation under seawater corrosion is established,and the chemical damage evolution equation and model parameters are formulated,The findings provides the basis for analyzing the influence of corosion and weak-ening of surrounding rock on the durability of tunnel within the operation period.